Chinese historical films - this is the whole direction of cinema of the Celestial Empire. A huge number of such films are shot. Most of them are not related to the history of the country, because the facts are distorted in them, the costumes do not correspond to the era. The main purpose of such films is to glorify the state and people of China.
Experts point out that the filming of such paintings is paid not only by independent sponsors: there is also a state order. There are times when Chinese historical films were shot for sponsors' money, but if they turned out to be worthwhile, a television studio bought them all the same during the editing period.
Reviews of the Chinese indicate that a lot of films were created about the times of the Tang, Han, Song, Ming, Qing dynasties, and they don’t take pictures at all that would tell in detail about the era of five dynasties and sixteen states, as well as the history of Tibet. This is because all Chinese historical films must comply with the country's current ideology.
High-budget films not claiming credibility
Most of these films with a significant budget are shot in partnership with American or European filmmakers and are defined as a Chinese historical action movie. The films presented below correspond to the declared parameters.
A vivid example is the film “Dragon Sword” directed by Daniel Lee with starring Jackie Chan. The cost of the film amounted to 65 million dollars. The colorful narrative of the picture introduces the viewer to the episode of the Han Dynasty. The plot is based on the story of how the Roman commander Lucius with his soldiers in the Western Desert waged a war for the independence of China against the emperor Tiberius.
A similar high-budget blockbuster "Hero" directed by Zhang Yimou with Jet Li in the title role tells the story of Bezymyanny’s war with the enemies of the emperor.
One of the most expensive is the project "Flowers of War" of the same director Zhang Yimou, the main role in which was played by Christian Bale. The picture reveals the love story of an American undertaker and a young geisha against the backdrop of the events of the war of Japan and China in 1937. The budget of the film amounted to 94 million dollars. Co-production paintings disprove the traditional perceptions that have shaped the national Chinese historical films.
Historical Series
Trying to highlight the best Chinese historical films, do not discount TV shows. In recent years, Chinese filmmakers have been filming a large number of historical series, featuring a dynamic plot and colorful costumes.
Noteworthy is the 2015 series "The Legend of Mi Yue." It tells about the fate of the first in the history of the country the Dowager Empress, who during the time of the Battle of the Kingdoms (481-221 BC) was the concubine of the emperor, bore him a son, was in exile. Subsequently, having received the support of General Qu and suppressing all revolts, she made the son of the emperor.
Another worthy of attention is the series “Worthy Empress”. He tells the story of Wei Zifu - the wife of the emperor of the U-di of the Western Han dynasty, who, being a girl of low descent, was able to become empress.
Films claiming historical authenticity
The central themes of Chinese cinema are the history of the Communist Party, the revolution, the war of Japan with China from 1937-1946. These topics are covered in many Chinese historical war films.
Among such works can be called "Founding of the party." It tells the story of the Chinese Communist Party, covering the period of the First Chinese Revolution of 1911. The picture covers episodes of the biography of the first leader of the country, Mao Zedong.
The film "Nanjing 1937" tells of the sad pages of the war of Japan and China. It describes the fate of refugees during the defense of the city and its capture by Japanese troops.
Everyone knows the Nuremberg trials - the trial of the leaders of Nazi Germany, guilty of the deaths of millions of people. Few people in Europe know the Tokyo trial of Japanese war criminals during the 1937-1946 war. The film "Tokyo Process" tells exactly about this episode of world history.
Are Chinese historical films interesting to European audiences?
Most films about the history of China are based on the mentality of the country's inhabitants, who grew up on the ideas of the Communist Party, the greatness of the country. Therefore, cinema of this orientation, popular within the country, does not enjoy the special love of viewers outside it. The way out of this situation is the tendency to produce films with the involvement of directors from Europe and the USA. Such films, without pretending to historical truth, attract the viewer with exoticism, dynamism of the plot, the beauty of costumes and surrounding landscapes.